Inside The Bills

In 2012 the Louisville Cardinals were 9-0 and ranked ninth in the country when they traveled to face an unranked Syracuse squad at the Carrier Dome coached by Doug Marrone. The Cardinals, led by QB Teddy Bridgewater, found the game tougher than perhaps they imagined.

Syracuse broke a 10-10 tie in the second quarter and never trailed again. The Cardinals had no answer for Orange WR Alec Lemon, who had 176 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. Jerome Smith and Princ-Tyson Gulley also combined for 242 rushing yards in the game and three touchdowns in what became a convincing 46-25 upset.

Bridgewater threw for 424 yards and three touchdowns, but most of his production came when the Cardinals were already trailing. The question now is how has Bridgewater morphed and changed under Minnesota offensive coordinator Norv Turner.

“You see a player that’s progressing from the college game to the pro game,” Marrone told Buffalobills.com in his weekly Coffee with the Coach segment presented by Tim Horton’s. “He has great weapons around him. Guys with a lot of speed who if they get the ball in open areas can cause serious problems. I think he’s progressing like most quarterbacks. Coach (Norv) Turner has always done a great job with young quarterbacks and has a history of it. They’re bringing him along and working on things that he’s good at and trying to create that foundation and make things a little more difficult for the opposing defenses.”

When the quarterbacks start throwing at the combine Sunday, Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater won’t be one of them. He will run but not throw this week in Indianapolis.

But in Bridgewater’s mind, he’s already done enough to merit consideration at the top of the NFL Draft in May. In face, he thinks the Houston Texans should chose him number one overall.

“Yes, no doubt. I feel that I’m the best quarterback in this draft,” he told the media Saturday.
“I’m not just going to sit up here and say it. There’s obviously actions that have to back up these words,and I’m just confident in myself and my capability to be able to play this position. I’m just going to go out there and prove that I’m the best guy.”

Bridgewater says there’s one major factor that separates him from the rest of the quarterbacks.

“The biggest thing I think is my accuracy,” he said. “This past season, I was able to complete 71 percent of my passes. My third-down passing completion percentage was pretty much off the charts, my pocket presence. I’m a competitor. Each day I go out there and I’m eager to learn, remain a student of the game, and I think that right there just separates me.”